Hi Beags et al,
Thanks for the link to the latest CAA paper.
I guess the only bit of good news is that we now have an extra 3 months to convert our licences to EASA ones now that the start date has slipped to 1 July 2012.
However, requirements for the conversion of a UK to EASA licence set out in the table at Attachment 4 / Annex 2 remain unchanged. I, along with quite a few others I suspect, don't quite fit into their neat pigeon-holing structure of "if you have X licence with Y hours in Z type of aircraft, then you qualify for X EASA licence". Reading between the lines, I should be able to squeeze an EASA CPL out of them which, whilst better than nothing raises the following issues:
1. At the moment, my UK ATPL technically allows me to sit in the Left Seat & act as a Captain in a multi-pilot aircraft (assuming I hold the relevant type rating). An EASA CPL would not.
2. Most job adverts (certainly most airline jobs) in this industry specify holding an ATPL..... how far does a CPL realistically get you these days?
So combining the effects of 1 & 2 above, after 24 years in flying, I'm suddenly much less marketable - surely that equates to the "loss of privileges" you mention?
It's also interesting to note some of the inequalities in the transition requirements: a JAA ATPL requires 500 hours multi-crew & this will automatically become an EASA ATPL, however as a UK ATPL holder, to qualify for an EASA ATPL I need 1500 hrs PIC multi-crew... to get the same licence!
The worrying thing is that this will now become law & the CAA are powerless to exercise sound judgement & common sense (there, I've said it!) when considering what EASA licence pilots are eligible for based on their experience & qualifications. More worrying still, Attachment 7, "Exemptions - Article 14" seems to suggest that EASA won't even consider this either!
I really can't see how it can be legally fair to implement these changes in such a rigid manner - the only sensible option would be to consider individuals on a case by case basis & grandfather them into EASA during the transitional period.
Is anyone else in this situation or is it just me?
PS. Dogstar2, sorry to hijack your thread but it looks like you'll be alright... nice one!